UFO ROUNDUP

Volume 3
Number 47
November 24, 1998

Editor: Joseph Trainor

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WHITEHALL PLANS TROOP MOBILIZATION IN Y2K CRISIS

Whitehall plans to call up thousands of UK
Territorial Army reserves to deal with civil unrest
sparked by the Year 2000 Computer Crisis, the
British newspaper Sunday Mirror reported last week.

The United Kingdom is now the second NATO
member to announce deployment of troops during
December 1999 as part of Operation Abacus. Two
weeks ago, the Globe and Mail of Toronto announced
that Canada would call up 60,000 troops to deal
with the crisis.

If Whitehall goes through with the plan, it will be
the biggest deployment of Territorial Army troops
since the start of World War II in September 1939.

According to the Sunday Mirror, "Officers from
British Army reserves have been put on alert to deal
with the chaos of New Year's Eve 1999."

"They have been asked to cope with possible
civil unrest and communications disasters as the
year 2000 begins. Whitehall fears the huge celebrations,
plus integral computer failures due to the 'Millenium Bug'
all have the capacity to bring about a 'Doomsday'
scenario."

"In a secret letter seen by the Sunday Mirror, the
Army officer reservists are asked about their availability
between December 22, 1999 and January 9, 2000."

"The letter was posted from the Army Reservist
Communications Centre at the Ministry of Defence (MoD)
headquarters in Whitehall. It says problems on a
national scale are expected, and it provides the first
clear indication that troops will be on standby to cope
with the expected Millenium Bug chaos."

"The letter makes special reference to new
reservist legislation with sections on civil unrest, defense
of the nation, resources and national security."

"An MoD spokesman would not confirm that the
letter had been sent. 'Clearly the Army stands by for any
form of assistance that civil authorities feel they need
over the Millenium."

Major UK metropolitan areas that may be affected
by deployment could include London, Liverpool, Bristol,
Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Sheffield, Southampton,
Newcastle-upon-Tyne, plus Edinburgh and Glasgow in
Scotland and Cardiff in Wales. (See the Sunday Mirror
for November 15, 1998, "Army calls in reserves for
Millenium chaos," by Tim Luckett. Many thanks to
John Hayes for forwarding this newspaper article.)

DAZZLING UFO STARTLES A CROWD IN INDIA

On Wednesday, November 11, 1998, at 5:30 p.m.,
Gaurav Hamish D., his family members, several neighbors
and his college professor were standing outdoors in
Malad Evershine Nagar, a suburb just west of the
Kandivali section of Mumbai (Bombay) when they
spotted an unusually bright UFO.

"The anomalous light caught my attention because
it was in a direction opposite from the setting sun,"
Gaurav reported. "That is, in the east. The source seemed
as if it was the sun shining behind some clouds. The
intensity of the light was about the brilliance of the sun
in early morning--8:30 a.m. It was about 70 degrees
from ground level. It could be compared to a great mirror
in the sky, reflecting the rays of the setting sun."

Gaurav said the crowd had the UFO in view until
7 p.m. (Email Interview)

GUNBOATS FIRE AT UFOs OFF THE COAST OF SRI LANKA

On Wednesday night, November 18, 1998, naval
gunboats opened fire on UFOs at sea off Point Pedro,
on the northern shore of Sri Lanka, an island nation
adjacent to India.

The small patrol craft of the Sri Lankan navy
opened fire with 20mm cannon and small arms
after spotting "unidentified aircraft" over the Indian
Ocean north of the island.

According to the Hindu Times, "The mystery over
the 'unidentified aircraft' which was 'spotted by Navy
personnel' over the northern seas off Sri Lanka
continues with no indication of either the type of
aircraft or its origin or purpose."

"Sri Lankan military spokesman Brigadier Sunil
Tenakkoon said that (although) the lights" seen were
similar to an aircraft, 'There is no definite proof."

"With no conclusive evidence to such reports,
it would not be possible to say 'if it was an aeroplane
or a helicopter,' he said."

"All of the 'sightings' of the 'unidentified aircraft'
took place 'during the nighttime' and 'only the lights
were visible,' Brigadier Tenakkon said."

The brigadier added that the sightings "were
reportedly made by 'Navy personnel' running naval
gunboars, who opened fire in the direction of the
lights." (See the Hindu Times for November 20, 1998,
"Mystery over aircraft continues," by V.S. Sambandan.
Many thanks to Stig Agermose and Errol Bruce-Knapp
for forwarding this newspaper article.)

UFO FLIES OVER A SEAPORT IN SOUTHERN CHINA

A UFO described as "apple-shaped" with "a trail
of red and yellow flame" appeared over the port city
of Xiamen in southern China on Tuesday, November 10,
1998 and was seen by hundreds of residents.

The Communist Party newspaper People's Daily
quoted "a China News Agency report saying the UFO
was first spotted at dusk Tuesday (November 10),
flying in a southwesterly direction for 20 minutes
before disappearing, and again the next day."

"Residents in the southern city of Xiamen had
sighted an apple-like UFO with a tail of red and
yellow flames...The report said the sighting of the UFO,
which was also captured on film by the local television
station, had Xiamen residents craning their heads
skyward for the past two days, hoping for another
appearance."

"The report said aerospace experts had said that
possibly a satellite had fallen out of orbit, causing
the phenomenon."

"It said most people had seen an optical illusion
caused by light reflecting from the emissions of an
aircraft."

Xiamen is a port on the Taiwan Strait located
370 kilometers (222 miles) northeast of Hong Kong.
(See People's Daily for November 14, 1998. Many
thanks to Peter A. Gersten of CAUS for forwarding
this newspaper article.)

BLUE TRIANGULAR UFO SIGHTED IN COLOMBIA

On Saturday, November 14, 1998, at 11 p.m.,
a UFO described as "a bluish triangular object"
was spotted flying over the city of Riohacha
in northern Colombia and "was seen by many
people, although it was partially raining."

The OVNI (Spanish acronym for UFO--J.T.)
"could clearly be seen flying at about 3,500
feet on a controlled flight path heading southeast
at about 450 to 500 nautical miles per hour."

Eyewitness J.C.M. reported, "The object was
certainly not part of the (Leonid) meteor showers
occurring this week."

J.C.M. added that, "in another recent incident"
near Riohacha, "an object was seen in the foothills
of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (elevation
18,000 feet or 5,454 meters) The object hovered
at about 3,500 feet above ground level for a good
long time. It was very bright, blue in color, then
suddenly flew away at very high speed. Unfortunately,
no pictures had been taken in this area."

Riohacha is a port on the Caribbean Sea, in
Colombia's La Guaira state, approximately
760 kilometers (475 miles) north of Bogota, the
national capital. (Muchas gracias a J.C.M.
para esas noticias colombianas.)

BLACK HELICOPTERS LAY SIEGE TO MOUNTAIN TOWN

Black helicopters laid siege to the town of
Andrews, North Carolina (population 2,551)
again last week, with sightings reported at all
hours of the day and night.

According to eyewitness Ramon S., town
residents have seen "at least seven Army choppers
that we are aware of. They have Hueys and
Kiowa Cobras," i.e. U.S. Army UH-1H and OH-58D
helicopters.

"They have, among other things, virtually run
people off the road. They hover 50 feet over homes
at night," Ramon reported. "On Monday (November 16)
they were running rappelling training during a light rain
while hovering at 30 feet above the ground."

"Last night (Wednesday, November 18, 1998) they
were flying and stated on the scanner...they called
themselves the Bad Boys...that they were testing
their NODS (Night Optical Detection Systems), night
optical lenses and photographic equipment by following
cars and hovering over houses."

Andrews, located on North Carolina Highways 19
and 129 about 325 miles (520 kilometers) southwest
of Raleigh, has been the focus of an intensive law
enforcement search for the past seven weeks. The
search's quarry is Eric Rudolph, 32, who is wanted
in connection with an abortion clinic bombing in
Atlanta, Georgia.

According to researcher Joseph Burton, who
visited the town on Wednesday, November 11, and
interviewed Ramon and other residents, "Others talk
of the intentional harassment done by helicopters,
and when they complained to the local sheriff, the
FBI told the sheriff they couldn't have done it...their
(National Guard) choppers were not equipped to
fly at night."

Ramon confirmed Burton's story that he and
another resident, Phillip, were captured by the FBI
the evening of November 11.

According to Burton, "Apparently, Ramon's
neighbor, a patriot named Phillip, had flashed one
of the choppers with a toy laser that says I Love You."

Unknown to Ramon and Phillip, however, an
unidentified sniper had fired several shots at the FBI
field headquarters, a renovated warehouse on
Highway 129 in Andrews, at about 8 p.m.

At 11 p.m., Ramon drove Phillip to the local
police station so he could turn himself in. When
they arrived in the parking lot, Ramon reported,
a platoon of FBI agents in PSGAT helmets and
body armor surrounded the truck and "ordered us
to step away from the vehicle and lie face-down
on the concrete."

The two men were handcuffed and taken into
custody. Ramon was released the next morning
without being charged. Phillip was sent by van
to the U.S. Marshals' field headquarters in
Bryson City, N.C. (population 1,145), located
30 miles (48 kilometers) northeast of Andrews.
He was detained for two days and then released
on Friday, November 13.

According to Burton, FBI Special Agent
Terry Terchie "revealed that the Governor of North
Carolina had declared a Special State of Emergency
in western North Carolina."

Andrews residents attempting to confirm this
received conflicting replies from the governor's
office as to whether or not the "special state of
emergency" had actually been declared.

Rumors of the presence of United Nations (UN)
personnel in Andrews also circulated widely.

Ramon said, "One newspaper stated that Russian
troops training at Fort Bragg have helped in the search
here with the FBI."

Other residents claimed to have seen three UN
observers at the Cherokee Restaurant in town. The
men were described as Caucasian, ranging in age
from 30 to 45, and wearing navy-blue jackets with
the letters UN on the back and a white UN symbol
patch on the shoulder. They reportedly were driving
a white Chevy Suburban and paid for their meals
with a Diner's Club credit card.

As for Rudolph, the federal fugitive remains at
large. Burton stated, "The sightings of Eric have now
surpassed sightings of Elvis." (Many thanks to Joseph
Burton, Dorothy H. Bibee, Rev. Billy Dee, plus thanks
to Ramon S. for the email interview.)

SILVER-GRAY FIREBALL SEEN IN SOUTHWESTERN OHIO

Last week two women from Franklin, Tennessee
were driving on Interstate Highway I-75 in Ohio when
they spotted "a fireball in the sky."

The women's car was travelling from Dayton
south to Cincinnati when they spotted the object,
which "looked comet-like. Then it stopped, because
the tail of the comet disappeared." They described
the UFO as "silver-gray and disc-shaped, but rounded
on the top and sides."

"We were traveling down I-75 when I looked up and
saw what looked like a comet in the sky," the witness
reported. "I pointed it out to my friend, and she saw
it clearly also."

"We both knew it definitely wasn't a plane. Then
the 'tail' of the object disappeared, and it looked like it
came to a stop. It was a little far away, and it went
right over us. It was silvery-gray in color. It moved
horizontally very quickly." (Many thanks to Ohio UFO
researcher Kenneth Young for this news story.)

VIRGINIA MAN SPOTS UFO DURING METEOR SHOWER

On Wednesday, November 18, 1998, at
approximately 1:40 a.m., Neal F. was "sitting in a
lawn chair in a field directly behind my house" in
New Kent, Virginia (population 500) when his
wife came out to join him. He pointed out to her
the radiant, the point in space where the Leonid
meteors were coming from. "I was looking at
(the constellation) Leo, which was fairly low, maybe
10 to 15 degrees above the horizon, in the east/
northeast."

"Then I saw, right below Leo, a large triangle
consisting of three small white lights. I couldn't see
any body or solid part for the craft. At first I thought
it was just a constellation. Then I realized that it
wasn't there a second ago, and it couldn't have
'risen' that quickly."

"I looked very closely and could detect slow
movement to the north," Neal reported. "The triangle
was about the size of a dime at arm's length. It was
just above the tree line approximately 1,000 to 1,500
feet away. I got my wife to look at it, and it 'glided'
away and went below the tree line northward. We
stayed and watched for about 15 minutes but didn't
see it again." (Many thanks to Jim Hickman of
Skywatch International for forwarding this report.)

UFO SEEN DURING LEONID SHOWER IN AUSTRALIA

Australia reported three sightings of a bright
UFO during the Leonid meteor shower last week.

On Wednesday, November 18, 1998, at 3:20 a.m.,
ufologist George Mackay spied "a UFO going from
left to right, then shot straight up" in Jimboomba,
Queensland.

Also at 3:20 a.m., in Stafford, South Australia,
an amateur astronomer saw "a bright light going
from left to right, then straight up."

And, on Mount Nebo at 3:20 a.m., a witness
"who was watching the meteor shower" from the
upper slopes "said he believes he saw a UFO at
around 3:20 a.m., northwest of the mountain. It
did zigzag and shot straight up. His girlfriend and
a friend saw it, too." (Many thanks to Diane
Harrison of UFO Network Australasia for these
reports.)

MYSTERY GAS LAYS LOW STUDENTS IN TENNESSEE

A strange, invisible gas has incapacitated
students and faculty alike at the Warren County
High School in McMinnville, Tennessee
(population 12,000).

According to USA Today, "Federal officials say
they may never find what's causing mysterious
fumes that have sickened students and teachers
at Warren County High School."

McMinnville is on Highway 55 approximately
86 miles (137 kilometers) southeast of Nashville.

"Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officials
said lab tests of air samples confirm there is nothing
wrong with air at the school. The noxious odor was
first detected one-and-a-half weeks ago, sickening
more than 90 students and teachers." (See
USA Today for November 23, 1998, page 13A)

ZARYA DEPARTS FOR SPACE

Zarya (Russian for Sunrise), the first orbital
component of the International Space Station,
blasted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in
Kazakhstan on Friday, November 20, 1998.

"A Russian Proton booster carried the module
into its initial orbit 125 miles (200 kilometers)
above Earth and the unit was operating as planned,
officials said."

"Space officials from 16 nations taking part in
the project observed as the rocket soared into the
cloudy sky above the central Asian steppe from
the Baikonur launch pad yesterday--exactly a year
later than planned.

"'Now we have only 44 launches to go, 1,000
hours of space walks and countless problems,
but because of the trust and mutual respect, the
international space station is going to be a reality,'
NASA chief Daniel Goldin told a press conference
after the launch." (See the Boston, Mass. Herald
for November 21, 1998, "Russian rocket launch
marks new era in space exploration.")

At a cost of $240 million, Zarya is the first of
about 100 modules that will be used to build the
space station. Zarya will provide the station's
power, propulsion and early communications
system.

The next station-related launch will take
place on December 3, 1998, when the space
shuttle Endeavor heads for orbit. Endeavor's
payload will consist of a $300 million connecting
tunnel called Unity.

"Zarya's launch 'opens the floodgates, and we
start going,' says Bob Cabana, commander of
space shuttle Endeavor, which is taking the
second piece up next month. 'This is going to
be one heck of a busy five years coming up.'"
(See USA Today for November 20, 1998,
"Space station finally getting off the ground,"
by Paul Hovenstern, page A4.)

from the UFO Files...

1952: FLIGHT TO OBLIVION

On November 28, 1952, Canadian pilot F. Jake
did his pre-flight walkaround at the airport in
Edmonton, Alberta. He was planning a long flight
east to Toronto, and he wanted to be sure that his
twin-engined Beech 35 was up to the job.

Jake's Beech 35, registration number CF-FUV,
took off easily and reported no trouble at all. Jake
and his three passengers landed at the municipal
airport in Houghton, Michigan, USA. After refueling,
the plane continued on its eastward flight.

"It had departed Houghton, Michigan and
proceeded eastbound along the southern shore of
Lake Superior. United States radar stations,
constantly scanning the (USA/Canada) border
kept close contact with CF-FUV."

"If pilot F. Jake experienced a problem, all he
had to do was extend his arm to the radio
microphone, key the transmitter and say,
'Uniform Victor, Mayday.' If he had done it slowly,
it would have taken four seconds...F. Jake did
experience a problem. But he never transmitted
his distress."

"About 40 miles northwest of Grand Marais,
Michigan, and 35 miles northeast of Marquette,
Michigan, CF-FUV, F. Jake and all three passengers
flew away. They vanished silently from the radar
screen. The position was noted by the radar
controller."

"But 'despite an extensive search, no trace of
the aircraft or occupants was found,' says the Canada
Department of Transport summary accident report.
The scientists who studied this strange case
concluded that 'for undetermined reasons CF-FUV
disappeared in Lake Superior.'"

Curiously enough, dozens of ships have "gone
missing" on that stretch of Lake Superior between
Grand Marais and Marquette. This group includes
two of the most notorious "ghost ships" of Lake
Superior--the Bannockburn, which vanished on
November 20, 1902, and the Adella Shores, which
disappeared in April 1909.

The wreckage of the Beech 35, the Bannockburn
and the Adella Shores have never been found. (See
THE GREAT LAKES TRIANGLE by Jay Gourley,
Fawcett Publications, Inc., Greenwich, Conn., 1977,
pages 24 and 25. See also HAUNTED LAKES by
Frederick Stonehouse, Lake Superior Port Cities, Inc.,
Duluth, Minn. 1997, pages 66 to 67 and 92 to 93.)

FUN UFO WEBSITES:

A photo of the Bigfoot spotted in Ochopee,
Florida a couple of months ago is now available at
a website. Check it out at http://www.naplesnews.com/special/skunkape/skunkape.html

If you have time to browse over the holiday, stop
in at our parent site, UFOINFO. A wide array of
UFO articles, photos and features awaits you.
Set your browser on http://ufoinfo.com

Back issues of UFO Roundup are available at
our webpage. Feel free to drop in any time and
read or download at http://ufoinfo.com/roundup

Well, that's it for this week. Earth's satellites
seem to have weathered the Leonid meteor storm--
the heaviest since 1966--rather well. Now the
Hubble Space Telescope can come about and
point its mirror at those unplumbed depths of the
southern sky. We'll be back next week with
more saucer news from around the planet,
brought to you by "the paper that goes home--
UFO Roundup." See you then.

UFO ROUNDUP: Copyright 1998 by Masinaigan
Productions, all rights reserved. Readers may post
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